


The Truth will Out

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/F, F/M, Other, there is sex but it doesn't go into any detail
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-16
Updated: 2018-03-16
Packaged: 2019-04-01 03:04:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13989126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Eden is sure that Dunya is Garnok, and she's going to prove it. Eden belongs to sso-eden-dawnvalley on tumblr, Izabella belongs to hollow_moon, Dunya belongs to Zebrablanket, Alessa belongs to sso-duskhill on tumblr, Jack belongs to SSO-Jack-Wolfwatcher, and Zelda belongs to ZDusk.





	The Truth will Out

**Author's Note:**

> Edited Syntax's pronouns and relationship tag, please let me know if I missed anything.

Eden Dawnvalley was sure of two things in life: the first, that Alonso was the hottest man this side of Jorvik. The second, that Dunya Salter was the reincarnation of Garnok. Alonso had looked at her oddly when she’d first said this, which had been during the thirtieth marathon of Star Wars. She’d frowned, pursing her lips, for once not paying attention to what was happening on the screen. And Alonso had noticed, because she was usually more invested in the movie.

“What’s on your mind?” Alonso had murmured, pressing his lips to her cheek and then rubbing his cheek against hers. The slightest rasp of stubble on her skin had jolted Eden out of her thoughts, and she’d blinked a few times before looking at him.

“I think Dunya is the reincarnation of Garnok,” she’d said, her face nothing but serious. Alonso had frowned, pursing his lips in puzzlement.

“That’s, uh… a pretty big accusation,” said Alonso. “What makes you think that?”

“Lots of things,” said Eden. “Her horse, Copperclash, has flaming hooves, I swear I saw her light something on fire with her eyes or hands the other day, she’s terrified of water, and she’s always making these clandestine phone calls and having meetings with Dark Core.”

“Well, if you’re sure,” said Alonso, rubbing her arm. 

“Oh, don’t worry, I am,” said Eden. “I’ll expose her to the druids tomorrow, and I know just how to prove it.”

“Good luck,” said Alonso, pulling her a little closer to her. “Now, let’s watch this movie.” Eden smiled and allowed herself to relax for the moment.

The next morning, though, Eden tacked up Phoenix and rode him out to Valedale, to pick up Elizabeth. Then, she continued on to Moorland, where her friend Alessa Duskhill lived with the reincarnation of the greatest evil that Jorvik had ever known.

Dunya answered the door in a pair of bunny slippers, wearing a t-shirt that read ‘If found, return to Alessa’ and a pair of baggy tracksuit pants. Elizabeth looked dubious, while Eden frowned suspiciously at her.

“Is she really evil, Eden? Really?” asked Elizabeth, turning her sceptical gaze upon the Soul Rider.

“Oh yeah, she’s evil, alright,” said Eden. “I’m onto you, Garnok.”

“Do I look like a giant squid to you?” said Dunya with a snort. In truth, she looked like she’d just gotten out of bed. At least she was clothed.

“Let’s go take a look at your horse,” said Eden, leading Elizabeth over to the stables. Inside, standing with the other Jorvik Warmbloods and one Connemara, was Copperclash, Dunya’s Jorvik Warmblood. He stood in the stall, his darker coat blending in rather nicely with the shadows, but Eden was sure that she could see his hooves glowing.

“That’s her horse? So she has a Jorvik Warmblood, just like the other Soul Riders, that’s normal,” said Elizabeth.

“Ha, yeah, she’s a real Soul Rider,” said Eden. “But look at his hooves! Don’t they look a little flaming to you?” Elizabeth squinted.

“It’s probably just the sunlight,” said Elizabeth.

“Alright then,” said Eden, taking a halter from the tack room and clipping a lead rope to it after putting it on Copperclash. “We’ll take him somewhere dark, then we’ll see. Or, better yet, lead him over some hay, but that might cause a fire.”

Elizabeth still looked dubious, but she followed Eden to a shady spot in the paddock just outside the stables.

“Okay, now look at his hooves,” said Eden. She could clearly see the light thrown by the flames licking about Copperclash’s hooves. Elizabeth turned from observing a bird, just a moment too late, for at that moment, Copperclash began to pee. And he kept peeing. Eden’s face fell into a look of utter dismay as the urine effectively extinguished the flames about his hooves.

“Well, that’s disgusting,” said Elizabeth, wrinkling her nose.

“Bu-but,” Eden stammered. She screwed her face up and turned away, letting Copperclash finish his business. But there were other ways that she could prove Dunya’s true identity to the druids.

Ever since the whole fiasco with Darko, Elizabeth and the other druids had decided to hold training sessions for the new Soul Riders, teaching them to better defend themselves against magic. In the training session that afternoon, Eden picked her own partner.

“I’ll fight against Dunya,” said Eden, gripping her rune wand tightly in her hands. Surely, Dunya would show her true powers in a fight.

“Very well, then,” said Elizabeth, nodding. “Go ahead, you two, show me how much your powers have improved.”

“Gladly,” said Dunya with a grin, her eyes glowing red.

“You see that?” said Eden, pointing to Dunya’s eyes. While she was distracted, Dunya cast a simple stun spell that caused Eden’s knees to buckle, sending her crashing to the ground in a rather undignified pose with her ass in the air. Dunya smirked down at her while Eden glared up at her.

“Rule number one,” said Dunya, leaning down over her with a wicked grin. “Never allow yourself to be distracted.” Eden huffed into the dirt before rising to her feet and readying herself to try again.

While she metaphorically licked her wounds later that evening (meaning that she soaked in a bath full of bath salts, prepared for her by Alonso), Eden mulled over other ways to get Dunya’s true colours out in the open. Perhaps a little dip in the ocean- after all, it worked for mermaids in books. While it wouldn’t bring out Dunya’s scales, it might bring out her unnatural fear of the water.

And so, sitting at her computer after her bath (and a pampering session), Eden sent out a group invitation to a beach day. Dunya would show up, just to seem normal. And because Lea would be there.

The day dawned bright and sunny, perfect for beach-going weather, and Eden dressed in her bikini before putting her clothes on over her swimwear. She hoped that Dunya would do the same.

Fortunately, when Dunya eventually showed up with Lea, she was wearing a t-shirt and board shorts, and looking rather uncomfortable to be this close to the ocean.

“I have an idea,” said Eden once they were all gathered around drinking cocktails (or mocktails, in the case of anyone other than Eden or Astrid) on the beach.

“And what’s that?” asked Alessa.

“We should do those cute couple things where we sit on our partner’s shoulders and wrestle,” said Eden. “Y’know, that thing.”

“Might make someone feel tall,” said Izabella from where she reclined against her equally-pale partner.

“I will kick you in the shins,” Jack declared, sounding half-asleep as he lay against his boyfriend with said magician’s hat over his eyes.

“I’m game,” said Zelda, standing up and stretching. She held her hand out to Justin.

“Yeah, I dunno, I’m kinda weird around the water,” said Justin, rubbing the back of his neck. “Especially after… y’know, the whole near-execution thing.”

“Ohhh my gosh you’re right, I’m so sorry,” said Zelda, her eyes wide and her hands over her mouth.

“Yes, I am also uncomfortable this close to the water,” said Dunya. “Perhaps Justin and I should simply go home.”

“Y’know, Garnok would be scared of the water,” said Eden innocently. “Especially after being trapped under there for so long.” Dunya scowled, getting to her feet.

“Fine then,” said Dunya. “Lea, we must join in on this ‘fun’.”

“Yay,” said Alessa with a roll of her eyes as her girlfriend pulled her to her feet.

Eden noticed that Dunya insisted on climbing onto her girlfriend’s shoulders before Alessa waded into the water. The demon almost seemed to flinch as the water barely lapped at her toes.

“I’m onto you,” said Eden as she climbed onto Alonso’s shoulders. Dunya glowered at her, looking almost like a cat up a tree, and held her arms out, bracing herself for the pushing game. Eden pushed first, followed by Dunya, who pushed back with the desperation of someone who did not want to lose. Or be toppled off into the water. Eden and Dunya both grit their teeth, while Alonso and Alessa cheered on their girlfriends. 

At last, with a mighty shove, Eden managed to make Dunya lose her grip on Alessa, sending the demon screaming into the water. Eden almost expected the water to hiss. Unfortunately, she only had a moment to gloat before her momentum pushed her down, too, crashing into Alessa so that all four of them ended up going beneath the waves in a messy, painful heap.

Dunya, unsurprisingly, was the first to emerge, running for the shore and all but hissing like a vampire as she vigorously towelled herself off. Eden wiped her nose and saw red on her hand, to which Alonso immediately fussed over her.

At the beach barbecue that afternoon, Eden glowered at Dunya over the tissue that she had pressed to her nose. She would show the truth, sooner or later.

For days, Eden was at a loss as to how she might prove to everyone that Dunya was actually Garnok. She never talked about it in public, nor did she speak much about Dark Core. For all intents and purposes, she was a very normal girl. But Eden knew that she was just good at acting normal.

Eden’s opportunity came when Dunya took Copperclash from the stables one night. Eden woke up to the sound of hoofsteps, and quickly scrambled out of bed and grabbed Phoenix, riding him out of the stables bareback with no time for tack. It was quieter this way, anyway. Quiet enough that Eden could safely record Dunya’s phone conversation without anything obscuring her voice.

“Hello?” Dunya whispered into her phone. “Yes, I would like to, er… order a hotel room. Oh, you say ‘book’, yes, that’s what I meant. For Friday night. It is a private function, so I do not want to be disturbed. No, we will not be needing that room. How many? I do not have to explain myself to you, just have the room ready. Good.” She ended the call, and Eden’s mind buzzed with ideas. This was exactly what she needed! Dunya was clearly organising a top secret Dark Core meeting, and now, Eden knew exactly when it would be happening. All she had to do was tail Dunya on the night of the meeting and find out just where the demon was headed.

On Friday night, Eden dressed in her darkest clothes and bid Alonso a quick but heartfelt farewell, hoping that this wouldn’t be the last time she’d see him. And then, her heart in her mouth, Eden watched Dunya leave Moorland stables and followed her. Fortunately, Dunya didn’t take any of Dark Core’s transport, she just rode Copperclash to Fort Pinta and, from there, caught the bus to Fort Pinta. Eden pretended that she was just another passenger on the bus, pretending to read and listen to her music while really she kept an eye on the dark-haired demon. When Dunya got off, Eden silently followed, heading in the opposite direction until she found a crowd to hide in. Dunya was easy to make out, being the only one with hair that messy.

Eden followed until Dunya reached a hotel, and, once there, Eden’s heartrate quickened as she watched Dunya step into the elevator, making sure to listen to the clerk give Dunya her room number. Once she had it, Eden bolted up the fire stairs, quickly reaching Dunya’s floor.

There was no sign of the demon on this floor, and the elevator was still in use. Good. So Dunya hadn’t arrived yet. Quickly, Eden cast a spell of unlocking on the door, slipped inside, and hid under the bed, ready to record whatever conversations were about to happen.

Nothing happened for a good half hour. And then, the door opened, and Dunya walked in, chatting with someone. Eden recognised Alessa’s voice, and she frowned in confusion. Was her friend involved in this? She had to be, being Dunya’s girlfriend. But then, the bed went down above Eden, and the voices became more private. Eden stiffened at the first giggle. Oh. Oh no.

Hours later, Eden’s face was still as red as Dunya’s eyes, even while the couple snored on the bed above her. She crept out from under the bed, her body cramping from being still for so long, and silently tiptoed out of the room.

“So, how did the mission go?” Alonso asked once Eden reached his cabin.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” said Eden, heading for the bathroom. She really needed a shower.


End file.
